In the meat processing industry there is a need to efficiently trim excess fat from the carcasses of animals after slaughter. It would be useful to remove excess fat from carcasses to a reasonably controllable layer thickness, in addition to removing the fat efficiently. With better control during the trimming process, more excess fat can be removed while leaving on a reasonably uniform, thinner layer of fat for leaner cuts, if desired.
The fat of pork has a relatively soft texture and consistency, and is therefore easier to trim than the fat of beef which is tougher and therefore more difficult to cut and remove, particularly to a generally uniform and controlled thickness. This has especially been a problem in the past where meat cutters have used a knife to cut off excess fat from beef carcasses rather than using power-operated trimming devices which are more useful in removing the fat of pork.
It is desirable to skin off as much excess fat as possible at the meat packing plant, rather than trimming off any substantial amount of fat after shipping the carcasses to their local destinations.
Excess fat removed at the central packing house under USDA inspection is considered "edible fat" which has a substantially higher market value than inedible fat. Edible fat is sold in aftermarkets such as for rendering to make cooking oil. According to government regulations, beef carcasses or by-products, such as beef fat, can be shipped from one USDA inspected establishment to another USDA establishment and the product still is considered edible. But once the beef carcass or cuts leave a USDA inspected establishment and are further processed at a local supermarket, where the excess fat is removed without the benefit of USDA inspection, that excess fat is then considered inedible. Thus, by removing more excess fat at the USDA inspected packing plant, its market value as edible fat is enhanced.
In the subsequent breaking and cutting process, beef carcasses are cut up into approximately 160 separate pieces needing to be trimmed of fat. It is more efficient to trim off as much excess fat as necessary at the central meat packing plant, rather than shipping the carcasses to the local destination for trimming excess fat. In addition, transportation costs are increased by shipping carcasses with substantial amounts of untrimmed fat. Labor costs are also increased substantially when trimming excess fat at the local destination, as opposed to using more unskilled labor for trimming excess fat at the central meat packing plant.
The present invention provides a carcass fat trimming tool adapted to efficiently trim excess fat from the carcasses of animals, especially excess fat from beef carcasses, thereby conserving edible fat and reducing shipping costs and subsequent labor costs during the breaking and cutting process. The invention, in one embodiment, comprises a hand-held, power-driven rotary trimming device which trims excess fat from carcasses and removes the trimmed fat rapidly and in a continuous flow. In the past, a number of hand-held and power-driven trimming devices have been used in the food processing industry. Some of these devices may be useful in trimming or skinning fruits or vegetables, but they are not necessarily adaptable for use in the meat packing industry to trim excess fat from animal carcasses, especially beef. Some prior art fat trimming devices are reasonably useful in efficiently trimming fat from pork, but the softer fat of pork can be more easily removed by these devices, whereas the same tools are not capable of removing excess fat from beef carcasses because of the tougher nature of the fat. Other prior art trimming devices cut the material with a chopping action which cannot be adapted to smoothly and efficiently remove fat from animal or beef carcasses in a rapid and continuous flow. The design and operation of a power-driven, hand-held trimming device, in particular, requires that the trimmed material not clog the device or otherwise interrupt the continuous flow or expulsion of the trimmed material, since speed and smoothness of operation are critical. Many prior art trimming devices suffer from this problem, if used as a carcass fat trimmer, especially when removing fat from beef carcasses.